Remnant of Cyclone Jawad leads to cloudburst in Odisha port town

A 55-YEAR-OLD TRIBAL FARMER IN GANJAM DISTRICT CONSUMED PESTICIDE AFTER HIS CROPS WERE DAMAGED IN THE SUDDEN RAIN

BHUBANESWAR: A cloudburst in the port town of Paradip in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Monday almost threatened to drown the town as remnants of cyclone Jawad, which has weakened into a deep depression over Bay of Bengal, moved close to Odisha coast on Sunday afternoon, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Cyclone Jawad, which threatened to hit the Odisha coast at Puri, weakened to depression on Sunday afternoon before coming near the coast, but did not make landfall, IMD said. Originally estimated to bring wind gushing at 90-100 kmph, the actual wind speed was less than half of it by Sunday afternoon, IMD said.

It then moved north-eastwards with a speed of 25 kmph and lay cantered about 30 km, southeast of Paradip over northwest Bay of Bengal by 5.30 pm, IMD said. Moving in northsystem. north-eastwards direction, it will weaken further by Sunday midnight along the West Bengal coast, it added.

Though the system weakened, it led to a sudden downpour in Paradip, which saw 109 mm of rain between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm after the associated cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal led to intense rainfall triggered by huge difference of wind shear between upper and lower level of the atmosphere, the officials at the weather bureau said on Sunday.

“The clouds took a tornadic structure due to the atmospheric Nowhere in Odisha has cloudburst occurred in the last 5 years,” said Uma Shankar Das, senior scientist in Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar. The port town witnessed a total of 201 mm of rainfall since 8.30 am on Sunday, the highest in Odisha.

Paradip Port Trust officials said no damage was caused to the port infrastructure and cleaning of choked drains was going on.

However, depressed by crop damage a 55-year-old tribal farmer in Ganjam district died after consuming pesticide.

Special relief commissioner Pradeep Jena said considering heavy loss to agriculture sector, the district collectors have been directed to prepare crop damage assessment report within seven days.

“Government will take appropriate decision in regards to whatever benefit entitled.”

In West Bengal, rain lashed Kolkata and other southern parts of the state on Sunday.